Philip Rivers doesn't have a billboard or a bobble-head. The closest he comes to a web site is a link to his stats from the NC State site. Why, he doesn't even have a post card. What kind of Heisman candidate is this?

The very real kind.

Rivers, NC State's junior quarterback, is off to the type of start that could put the No. 16 Wolfpack in a BCS Bowl and himself at the Heisman presentation banquet a few months from now. Imagine that. A hype-free Heisman candidate.

C-USA's Big Weekend

Three of the biggest names in college football history take on Conference USA teams in a weekend that could see the C-USA make a push for more national credibility -- or get crushed. The most likely team to face the latter fate (sorry) is Houston, which is much improved from last season's 0-11 skid mark but not nearly improved enough to hang with No. 2 Texas, and certainly not in Austin, where the Longhorns have won their last 14 games. Texas coach Mack Brown is well known for having his teams -- whether at Texas or his previous school, North Carolina -- ready to play instate rivals. Houston qualifies, especially with its history in the Southwest Conference when it played Texas every year from 1976-95. Houston coach Dana Dimel, sporting a spiffy 2-1 record, remains optimistic. "One of the things that's going to help us going into Texas is we've had a chance to play three pretty tough football games and get some of the kinks ironed out," he said. "Our team's already learned some lessons, so hopefully that will help us as we go to Memorial Stadium." One of the lessons Cincinnati coach Rick Minter will learn Saturday is this: Sometimes a home game isn't really a home game. Actually, it sounds like he already knows what's in store for his team when it faces No. 6 Ohio State at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, where a C-USA record crowd in excess of 66,000 is expected -- most of them no doubt rooting for the out-of-town Buckeyes. "Supposedly it's a home game for us," Minter scoffed this week. "I'll be anxious to see the distribution of tickets." The Bearcats already have earned a victory of sorts, getting Ohio State to play them outside of Ohio Stadium. This is Ohio State's first trip to Cincinnati since 1911, and considering the Bearcats are coming off a loss to West Virginia, that might be their only victory this week. Conference USA's best hope for a statement-making victory probably will come at Tuscaloosa, Ala., where Southern Miss plays Alabama. The game figures to be a defensive struggle, but keep an eye on Southern Miss tailback Derrick Nix, who has run for 397 yards in the past two games, against an Alabama defense that allows just 70 yards on the ground. "They've got as much talent as they've ever had," Eagles coach Jeff Bower said of the Crimson Tide. "I think their offensive line is very good, and defensively their front seven has been dominant against the run." -- Gregg Doyel

"I don't think I'd want any of that stuff," he says of Heisman machinations. "You hope people think of you in that way, but you want your play to speak for itself."

Rivers' play says this: 202.3. That's his passing efficiency rating, best in the country. He has completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 953 yards and nine touchdowns, with two interceptions.

Rivers' play also says this: 4-0. That's NC State's record, only the 17th time in 111 years the Wolfpack has opened the season with four victories. Only seven times has NC State started a year at 5-0, and Rivers and Co. will take aim on that mark Saturday in Lubbock, Texas, against Texas Tech.

Understand this: Rivers usually hits what he aims at.

"He's as good as any quarterback I've been around," says former NC State offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who coaches prime NFL prospect Carson Palmer at USC and mentored Ty Detmer, among others, in 18 years at BYU.

Chow saw Rivers coming a long time ago. Before Rivers threw his first pass at NC State, when he was a freshman a few days away from starting the 2000 opener, Chow said: "If he stays healthy, he could break every record there is."

It was an outlandish thing to say, but Rivers threw for 397 and 401 yards in his first two college games, and what was the all-time NCAA record for passing yardage, anyway?

Rivers eventually fell off the pace that would fell Detmer's NCAA record 15,031 career passing yards, but he remains on target to shatter every significant school and ACC passing mark. And his passing efficiency through four games this season is nearly 20 points higher than the NCAA single-season record of 183.3 set by Tulane's Shaun King in 1998.

NC State isn't making a big Heisman push for Rivers, at least not yet, in large part because that's not coach Chuck Amato's style. He spent most of his coaching career at Florida State, where Heisman candidates promoted themselves on the field, and he feels Rivers should do the same.

"I don't know if he is or isn't (a Heisman front-runner), and I don't really care," Amato says.

To get there from here, Rivers will have to traverse much stiffer competition than he has faced to date. The Wolfpack's first four foes were New Mexico, East Tennessee State, Navy and Wake Forest. Their next four are Texas Tech, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Duke.

An 8-0 start isn't out of the question, though Ole Miss and its Heisman hopeful quarterback, Eli Manning, would tell the Wolfpack a win in Lubbock is no sure thing. And the UNC game in Chapel Hill promises to be prickly. But if the Wolfpack can pull it off and get to 8-0, their national rating figures to be somewhere near No. 10, and Rivers' Heisman candidacy ought to be in full bloom.

"If we continue to win, (Heisman consideration) will come," Amato says. "It's that simple."

Too bad the closing schedule isn't. NC State's last five opponents? Clemson, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Virginia and Florida State. All but Georgia Tech and FSU are on the road.

If Rivers is a serious Heisman candidate, and if NC State is a serious Top 10 team, both will get the chance to prove it. Rivers will never appear on a billboard, but you never know. Maybe a post card.

Around the ACC

Clemson
New coordinator John Lovett's defense gets tested by Ball State RB Marcus Merriweather, who is 10th nationally at 130.5 rushing yards per game. Clemson is second in the ACC and 17th nationally in total defense (266.3 yards per game) . ... Clemson and Ball State have played just once before, with the Tigers winning 24-10 in 1992.

Duke
The QB job belongs to Adam Smith, though coach Carl Franks is committed to getting backup Chris Dapolito some snaps to capitalize on his mobility . ... Safety DeAndre White has been moved to OLB to replace injured Brendan Dewan (leg) . ... TB Chris Douglas might not play against Florida State to rest a nagging ankle injury.

Florida State
FSU is 10-0 against Duke, and last year's score (55-13) was pretty typical . ... TB Greg Jones is the first Seminole since Travis Minor in 1995 to run for at least 100 yards in five straight games . ... The team says no redshirt year for backup QB Adrian McPherson (ankle).

Georgia Tech
The Jackets and BYU have never played before . ... The game features the country's fifth-leading rusher (Georgia Tech's Tony Hollings, 148 yards per game) and the No. 6 rusher (BYU's Marcus Whalen, 138.7) . ... BYU coach Gary Crowton is familiar with Tech's Chan Gailey from their days in the NFL, and is familiar with Georgia Tech, period -- he was a Jackets assistant in 1994.

Maryland
TB Bruce Perry (groin), who ran for 133 yards and three touchdowns in the Terps' 50-3 win last season against Eastern Michigan, could play for the first time this season in the rematch . ... Maryland's young secondary will have to stop Eagles WR Kevin Walker, who is fifth nationally at nine catches per game and has 145 career receptions.

North Carolina
The off week should allow WRs Jarwarski Pollock (shoulder) and Brandon Russell (shoulder) to heal for the Tar Heels' next game, Sept. 28 against Georgia Tech. Pollock's injury is more severe . ... After hitting three field goals from 50 yards or more against Syracuse to tie an NCAA record, Dan Orner missed from 49 yards against Texas -- hitting it high off the right upright.

NC State
C Jed Paulsen (knee) is expected to miss this week's game against Texas Tech, and possibly next week's home game with Massachusetts. Walk-on Brandon Sanders acquitted himself well against Wake Forest . ... The Wolfpack is third nationally in passing defense but hasn't faced a passing team like Texas Tech -- or a passing team at all, frankly.

Virginia
The Cavaliers are just 37-38-2 in Homecoming games, but are coming on strong; they've won 11 of their last 13 and should win Saturday against winless Akron . ... Since being benched for one start in favor of freshman Marques Hagans, QB Matt Schaub has thrown three touchdown passes in each of the last two games, the first one in a reserve role.

Wake Forest
No QB controversy here; coach Jim Grobe says the job remains in the hands of James MacPherson, who was benched briefly against NC State in favor of freshman Cory Randolph . ... FB Ovie Mughelli (hamstring), who ran for four touchdowns in the opening loss to Northern Illinois, was limited to one carry against NC State . ... Purdue is 3-0 against Wake Forest, all at home, the last meeting in 1978.

Around Conference USA
Army is 2-0 at home against Saturday foe Louisville, including a 59-52 overtime victory in 1999 . ... Zac Dahman is the first Cadets freshman to start at quarterback since 1987 . ... One of Cincinnati's reserve quarterbacks, George Murray, is working at receiver and had six catches for 63 yards against West Virginia . ... Senior DE Antwan Peek blocked his sixth career kick in that game . ... East Carolina kicker Kevin Miller extended his consecutive field goal streak to 14 last week against Tulane, then missed . ... The Pirates, who are off this week, got career-best rushing performances from Art Brown (185 yards) and Marvin Townes (87) . ... Houston may not have many victories in Austin, but its last one was a biggie -- 66-15 in 1988 . ... The Cougars have forced 10 turnovers in three games, including eight fumbles, while Texas hasn't turned it over yet in two games . ... Louisville QB Dave Ragone threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns in his last game against Army, in 2000 . ... With 302 yards of total offense against Colorado State, Ragone is seventh in C-USA history at 6,860 for his career . ... The dead heat between Memphis and Tulane gets broken Saturday. The series stands at 11-11-1 . ... Promising Memphis freshman TB DeAngelo Williams needed just 11 carries to gain 105 yards against Southern Miss . ... Since 1999, Southern Miss has allowed fewer touchdowns than any team in the country, at 53. Oklahoma is next at 61 . ... Now you know the identity of senior TB Derrick Nix's successor: redshirt freshman Anthony Harris, who ran for 121 yards on 21 carries against Memphis . ... TCU has forced 14 turnovers, tied with Wisconsin for first nationally . ... The Horned Frogs have owned North Texas, winning 15 of 17 overall meetings, seven by shutout . ... Tulane RB Mewelde Moore tied the league record with his 14th career 100-yard rushing game last week against ECU. His next one would break former Houston star Ketric Sanford's record . ... The Green Wave's 22-play, 82-yard drive that ate up 7:02 of the clock was the program's longest in three years . ... After losing the series opener at Louisiana-Lafayette in 1995, UAB has won the last four meetings, including a 47-2 wipeout in 2000. That's par for the course; none of the five meetings has been decided by single digits . ... UAB faces a team already familiar with C-USA; Louisiana-Lafayette lost 36-17 last week to Houston.

Gregg Doyel covers college football for The Charlotte Observer and can be reached at gdoyel@charlotteobserver.com.